Annette Ebony Laurie, 33, sentenced to 18 months’ prison for ‘shameful’ cemetery crash

A Beaudesert mother drove a stolen car through a cemetery while drunk, smashing up eight rows of graves, a court has heard.

A mother of four who destroyed a dozen graves by ploughing through a cemetery while “outrageously” drunk has been blasted by a magistrate for her “shameful” offending.

Appearing via video link from remand Beaudesert woman Annette Ebony Laurie, 33, pleaded guilty to a string of offences at Beenleigh Magistrates Court.

They included dangerously operating a vehicle; driving while under the influence of a liquor; unlawfully using a vehicle and driving without a licence, among a host of others.

The court heard Laurie was at a party in Roma on March 29, 2019, when she left the venue in an attendee’s vehicle without their permission.

Annette Ebony Laurie, 33, appeared at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on September 16 for causing extensive damage to a cemetery while driving drunk. Picture: Facebook.

Hideously drunk, she crashed into the Roma Cemetery at Conlan and Lewis roads, ploughing through some eight rows of graves and damaging 12 separate lots.

Tests confirmed she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.322 per cent, or just under 6.5 times the legal limit.

According to the prosecution, the offending occurred while on a suspended jail sentence.

The court heard Laurie had a two-page criminal history in Queensland and an extensive history in New Sough Wales littered “very serious” offences.

Defence solicitor Layla King said her client had not touched a drop of alcohol since the incident and had spent 54 days in pre-sentence custody for the first time.

Ms King said the defendant had been the victim of extreme physical violence at the time.

Numerous personal reference letters from family and a partner described her as a “wonderful and basically lovely person” who had lost her way.

Cr Geoff McMullen with the new Roma Cemetery fencing after Laurie caused significant damage.

Noting she had pending legal matters awaiting her in New South Wales, Magistrate Terry Duroux criticised her for desecrating a cemetery.

“You should be absolutely ashamed of yourself for causing damage to a cemetery,” Mr Duroux said.

Laurie was sentenced to 18 months’ jail with immediate parole granted and convictions recorded.

She was further disqualified from driving for 47 months, or just under four years.